TheCable

Adedamola Kuti, federal controller of works in Lagos, on Tuesday said consultations were ongoing for the closure of third mainland bridge in Lagos for repairs.

The bridge connects the mainland part of Nigeria’s commercial capital to the Island, where many corporate organisations have their head office.

Kuti said the ministry of works would hold a meeting with stakeholders on Wednesday to discuss how to manage traffic during the repairs.

He did not specify the exact date the bridge would be closed to traffic or how long the repairs would last.

He, however, said the bridge may be “shut it by 12 midnight on July 27 and carry out tests and some repairs and open it to traffic by midnight on Sunday.’’

According to him, stakeholders attending the meeting to discuss the repairs include traffic regulatory agencies, transport unions, truck owners and drivers’ unions, law enforcement agents, among others.

In May, the federal executive council (FEC) on approved N18.874 billion for the repair and maintenance works on the bridge.

“The Federal Executive Council has approved the maintenance work on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State,” Kuti said.

“The project has taken off already and in carrying out the work, we may at certain times be shutting down the bridge for maintenance.

“At the moment we may begin with tests on the bridge, so, we may shut it by 12 midnight on Thursday and carry out tests and some repairs and open it to traffic by midnight on Sunday.’’

He said six other damaged bridges across the state were already undergoing maintenance and rehabilitation.

“We have contracts on maintenance of some of the bridges in Lagos,” he said.

“We are completing maintenance work on the expansion joints on the Coconut Bridge. We expecting the contractor to start work on the Independence Bridge in Lagos. There is repair work going on currently on the Apapa Bridge, that is, Ijora/Leventis Bridge.

“Maintenance work is ongoing on the Ijora-7up Bridge, we are also changing the expansion joints.

“On the bridge around the National Stadium area, we are putting covers to all the stolen manholes, we are replacing the steel covers from stadium to Costain.”

Kuti added that some tests had been carried out on the Otedola bridge, whose surface was recently burnt during a tanker fire.

He said the tests revealed that the bridge was safe for use and that the contractors would soon attend to the bridge.